Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking is the deplorable act of transporting a person against their will for the purposes of exploitation. It is a form of modern day slavery in which the basic rights of the victim are repeatedly and continuously violated.

Most trafficking victims are women and children from poor socioeconomic backgrounds. They are commonly lured with the promise of employment opportunity in a restaurant or factory, only to be striped of their papers upon arrival and forced into sexual servitude or bonded labor. A trafficker may use force, deception, coercion, fraud, or other forms of intimidation to obtain, harbor, and traffic their victim

Map of key source and destination nations in human trafficking
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6497799.stm

The United States Department of State estimates that “600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children [are] trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 80 percent are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors”. This figure fails to account for victims who are trafficked within national borders, likely representing a significant portion of all trafficking victims. In fact, if domestic trafficking were to be included, up to 4 million persons per year would be considered victims of human trafficking.

Globally this modern day slave trade represents a ten billion dollar a year industry. The vast majority of trafficking victims are sold into prostitution, sexual servitude, or other forms of sexual exploitation. Human trafficking to support bonded labor is also widespread, as is the trafficking of children to serve in military conflicts in various regions of the world.

Further Reading

	2009 US Trafficking Persons Report -The ninth annual Trafficking in Persons Report sheds light on the faces of modern-day slavery and on new facets of this global problem. In addition to providing a data on countries determined to be countries of origin, transit, or destination for a significant number of victims of human trafficking, the report also covers key topic of special interest such as: the role of parents in child trafficking, human trafficking for organ removal, child trafficking in gold mines, strengthening prohibitions against forced labour and fraudulent recruitment of foreign workers."
	2010 - The Mekong Region Human Country Datasheets on Human Trafficking - Abstract from the report: "The International Labour Organization estimated in 2005 that 9.49 million people were in forced labour in the Asia-Pacific region, with a significant proportion thought to be in the Mekong region, which includes Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.1 Within the Mekong region, the crime of human trafficking is widespread, yet little is known about specific trafficking patterns and trends....In these datasheets you will find a snapshot of human trafficking in the six Mekong countries, including statistical data on the number of people trafficked and the number of perpetrators prosecuted, geographic patterns of domestic and cross-border trafficking, information about trafficking trends, and data on anti-trafficking laws and penalties."
	2010 The Criminal Justice Response to Human Trafficking (Recent Developments in the Greater Mekong Sub-region) - This article highlights developments in the criminal justice response to human trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region over the last three years. Developments in the strengthening of the legal framework, criminal justice institutions and in support provided to victims are highlighted while acknowledging that progress has been uneven across the region. Many obstacles remain and more needs to be done to ensure that recent developments result in real change where it matters: better protected and supported victims; more and better quality prosecutions that are in accordance with international criminal justice standards; greater levels of cooperation between the GMS counties; and a donor community that is facilitating and supporting such changes."
	2006 US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report - At the time of its publication, the TIP Report was the most comprehensive worldwide report on the efforts of governments to combat sever forms of trafficking in persons. The 2006 TIP report covers the period from April 2005 to March 2006. The TIP Report provides a data on countries determined to be countries of origin, transit, or destination for a significant number of victims of human trafficking.